School/sixth form support help please? — Scope | Disability forum
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School/sixth form support help please?

Sp4rkR4t
Sp4rkR4t Community member Posts: 4 Listener
edited December 2017 in Education
Hi all my name is Michael, I'm a carer for my partner and step-dad to our wonderful daughter.

My daughter is 18 and at 6th form studying art and is proving to be incredibly talented, however she has real difficulty talking to people she doesn't know, finding her way around new places and generally understanding or being able to follow a conversation out in the world, recently as we have gotten to understand each other better I've been able to see her frustration at not being able to explain to people what she wants or needs from them so we went to the GP to see if they could put her on some path to understanding her issues or even just putting a name on it. However after a week the doctor got back to us and basically said that we would have to go through the school for that kind of help, now I've always been happy with our GP but the school that she stayed at through 6th form because she already knew it and didn't feel she could cope with the college (we went to visit it and she was panicking at every loud noise, it was not a good day out) has not been very good, they have had their funding cut so much the whole place is falling apart at the seams, students were kicked out and not allowed to do their year 13 if they didn't earn enough 'improvement' points, as that's what is important to the school and not the welfare of the student.

Can anyone offer any advice or simply point me in the right direction on how I can help my daughter?

Comments

  • Sam_Alumni
    Sam_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,671 Disability Gamechanger
    @IndependentSupportServices can you help at all?
    Scope
    Senior online community officer
  • CaderMac
    CaderMac Community member Posts: 105 Pioneering
    Hi @Sp4rkR4t , welcome to the Community. 

    I'm sorry to hear that your daughter is having such a rough time at the moment. I've seen lots in the press at the moment about schools/education providers simply not doing enough to cater for everyone's needs and it is really very sad and frustrating. 

    I wonder if Charlotte from @IndependentSupportServices can offer you any practical advice? 

    x
  • IndependentSupportServices
    IndependentSupportServices Community member Posts: 54 Courageous
    Hi @Sp4rkR4t

    The link below is to a page from the IPSEA website which may be of use

    https://www.ipsea.org.uk/what-you-need-to-know/school-duties

    Especially the following paragraph:
    Further Education colleges should also identify and support young people with SEN and/or a disability. Young people may be supported from within the college’s own existing resources under SEN Support or have an EHC plan. The college must record what SEN they have identified a young person as having, what outcomes they expect to be achieved and what provision is being put in place to reach those outcomes in an SEN Support record. They should trigger an EHC needs assessment where they cannot meet a young person’s needs. They should do so if they don’t have the expertise or funding to identify those needs fully or to identify the provision/ support the young person requires. They should also do so when they know what the young person’s needs are and what provision should be put in place but they cannot make that provision.

    The Independent Support Service can support through the process of applying for, giving evidence for, drafting and reviewing an EHCP. For more general advicen the duty of the school to support with anxiety and SEN, you can do an internet search for 'SENDIASS' and your local area. This will give you contact details for your local SEN and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service. They will be able to support you with this.

  • Sp4rkR4t
    Sp4rkR4t Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    All of this seems completely geared towards education needs, what do people like my daughter do where they can educate themselves and pass any exam thrown at them, she has no special education needs except that the school lying to her at every turn is causing her great anxiety. All she is really asking for is for someone to diagnose what issues she has been coping with, is that really something we have to go through a terrible school system to get? What about when she finishes her courses in May, what provision is there for adult diagnosis before she goes to University?
  • IndependentSupportServices
    IndependentSupportServices Community member Posts: 54 Courageous
    Hi @Sp4rkR4t

    The most usual pathway to mental health services is through your GP so if you don't feel they understand the severity of the situation or are being dismissive, you can ask for a second opinion. You could also ask the school to write in support of your concerns so that your daughter can access the support she needs.

    Alternatively you can find out which services are available in your area which may not need a GP referral by using the search function on the page below

    https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Anxiety/LocationSearch/1810

    There is more information on the NHS page below

    https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/mental-health-services-explained/Pages/accessing services.aspx


  • Sp4rkR4t
    Sp4rkR4t Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    We went back to GP and she has an initial evaluation at the end of this month, GP also provided a letter for the school who are also getting involved and the head of year spoke to me to ask if there are any specific issues she was having since her education is extremely valuable to them (it's a new 6th form and she is the highest rated student) so I explained her frustrations with them pushing UCAS stuff (we have already done all of it) and teachers brushing off her requests for steps to be explained in some tasks as she doesn't always remember things she deems unimportant.

    So I'm pretty happy how this has all worked out, thank you all for the help.
  • CaderMac
    CaderMac Community member Posts: 105 Pioneering
    Hey @Sp4rkR4t ! Thank you so much for giving us an update - I'm so pleased that you are making some progress! Sounds as if your daughter has a bright future ahead and I have everything crossed that she is able to access the right support on the way. 

    I would love to see some of her art work, so if ever you able to post any images of her work in the community be sure to tag me. 

    Happy New Year to you and your family. 

    Cader x 
  • Sp4rkR4t
    Sp4rkR4t Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    @CaderMac Here is a piece she made for My birthday in October, best birthday present I've ever got.

    https://sp4rkr4t.me/content/images/2018/01/20171002-IMG_1727.jpg
  • CaderMac
    CaderMac Community member Posts: 105 Pioneering
    edited January 2018
    @Sp4rkR4t Oh wow! That’s beautiful - she certainly is very talented!!!!!! What a lovely birthday gift 
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    [Deleted User] Posts: 126 Courageous
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